


making chords with heartstrings.

by blckpldnlance



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Keith writes poetry, M/M, Short n sweet, lance plays guitar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 09:14:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12528000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blckpldnlance/pseuds/blckpldnlance
Summary: Lance loves to play the guitar but needs help with lyrics, turns out Keith loves poetry.





	1. Chapter 1

Lance sighs.

"By the way things are going I'm gonna end up scavaging the universe for some strings" - the boy whispers to himself as he tunes his visibly old guitar. It was a gift from his older sister the day he left.

Lance was never one to really trust people. His family is everything to him but it was still hard to let people in. The fear of showing someone his dark side and being rejected was enough to paralyze him into bottling everything inside. But music? It was some kind of magic bottle opener that made Lance spill out anything he was trying to hold in. It was like a friend to him. It felt like home. Music FEELS like home; so now that he's in space, whenever he starts missing the way his mom smiles when she sings, or how his niece is always asking him to braid her hair, or how he now misses the way Luna, the huge family dog, used to make him struggle to not fall when she came running to him when he got home, all those little things, whenever missing them gets too much to handle, he plays. He plays because strumming those strings is what keeps him sane.

The instrument isn't top quality or anything like that, but it was always a part of the family. His mother, Rosa, had given it to her daughter hopping she'd pick it up as a hobby, and she did. Quickly, Sofia became attached to the guitar and learned more songs than one thought it'd be possible for a seven year old to know. When Lance came into the picture, the guitar was already there, it still amazes him how no one had bothered to give it a name, but what amazes him most is how it managed stay in one piece for ten years on such a busy household. Lance was grateful for it though.

He'd been playing for his whole life, his mom would tell stories of how two year old Lance attempted to strum the strings of the guitar, and when five year old Lance tried to write an original song but failed miserably. What he doesn't need to be reminded is how he'd sit on the floor and look up at Sofia on the couch while she played. Every now and then she'd give him the privilege of hearing her sing. It a wasn't strong or clean voice, it was sweet and raspy. If Lance had to describe it, it'd be like how eating a spoon of honey feels like when you have a sore throat, rough but calming.

Lance cried when the guitar was given to him. The words "so you'll take a piece of us with you" still echo in his brain together with the image of his family gathered pulling him into a hug. A very suffocating hug may he add. But he'd give anything to feel it again.

He kept doing a few tweaks until the strings sounded right to his trained ear.

He worked on the progression he started creating the previous week. After so long in space, unable to learn new songs, there are only so many times you can play around with far away before just the name nickelback makes you wanna gag.

-

He finishes the progression and stores the song away in his brain in a 'add lyrics' mental folder. He had created quite some songs already since being a part of voltron, but some felt like they deserved more. Lance tried, he really tried but he just can't write. It's either based on overdone cliché phrases or it just doesn't make sense. Needless to say that none of those mental files ever got the lyrics they deserve, but Lance keeps shoving songs there because it helps him feel better about not being able to write, for some reason.

He chooses to ignore the dumb poem ideas that start popping in his head once he realizes it's way too late at night and decides it's time for sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Lance" - Shiro says as he pours some food goo on a plate

"Hey" - the boy answers sleepy, still rubbing his eyes at the bright lights of the kitchen area of the castle

"Here" - the older man offers him the plate

"Thanks"

"So, don't ask me what I was doing up that late but, was it you I heard playing guitar yesterday?"

No one in the team knew about Lance's passion. Not that he tried to hide it or anything, the topic just never came up.

"Yeah"

"From what I heard, it was really good. You got skills, I suppose you've been playing for some time" - Shiro pointed as he and Lance sat down

"Yeah. I've been playing for as long I as I can remember remembering" - the boy chuckled

"Oh I didn't know, but it denefitly shows. May I ask what song that was?"

"It was an original actually" 

"Really? It was so good Lance you should be proud"

"Thank you" - he smiled

"How long does it take you to make a song? I mean between chords and lyrics and all that, must be a long time"

"Actually I don't do lyrics. I've tried though but it's just not my thing. But coming up with the progressions and all usually takes me a couple days maybe, depends on how complex I want it to be" - Lance's eyes start to light up, he could talk about this for hours

"You should talk to Keith then. I'll be honest, I listened to you for some time and I think the song deserves some lyrics"

"Keith?" - Lance is suddenly fully awake 'does he know how to write? Is he good with words? Oh my, I bet he's secretly super sentimental' he thinks to himself

"Yeah. He writes poetry and as much as he doesn't want to admit, he's really good. You didn't find it through me though" - Shiro smiles

"Hum... Interesting. I might just talk to him"

-

They finish having breakfast in comfortable silence and once he's done, Lance gets up and leaves the kitchen like a man on a mission, he knows exactly where he's going, but he has to get his guitar first.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith hears a soft knock on his door, it startles him nonetheless. He's not used to having people come into his room in the morning.

"Come in"

The door opens and Lance appears behind it with the slightest most beautiful smile.

"Hey mullet, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah I did, thank you very much for asking, now what is it that you want? And what the?" - Keith finds himself asking when Lance goes back on the corridor to pick something up "what are you doing?"

'A guitar? Really? Of course he plays guitar' - Keith thinks to himself as soon as he sees Lance coming into his room with his hands full.

"So you play?"

"Well, I mean" - Lance starts saying as he sits on Keith's bed and puts himself in the position to start strumming "clearly. But that's not the point. I need your help"

"Sorry to break it to you loverboy but as you can clearly see" - Keith gestures vaguely at his empty room "I don't really know about guitars"

"Well you could know and even play but you could've also not have it with you here. BUT" - he gestures Keith to sit next to him. Lance raises an eyebrow and a smirk starts appearing "a little bird told me you do know about words"

"That motherfucker" - Keith says between his teeth

Shiro was the only one to know about Keith's passion for poetry, in fact, he was the one who made him start writing. Something about being a healthy coping mechanism.

Keith was never one to trust people. After everything he'd been through he just couldn't. He was a loner and the only person he ever really had was Shiro and he knew he could trust him. But knowing and feeling things is very different so he kept everything to himself. Until poetry happened. At first he hated writing, it felt like a waste of paper and ink but the mentor seemed to be so sure about how good it'd be for Keith's loneliness that he just kept doing it, and with time, it became a passion. He'd be so proud and excited about his poems that he couldn't help but share them with his brother from another mother. Shiro's jaw would always seem to fall on the floor because Keith doesn't seem to be the sentimental kind until you read what he writes. He's that person who notices the littlest things and keeps them close in his heart, he's the kind of person who feels a lot and turns out, actually has a lot of love to give, he's just scared to hand out his heart and only get a pat on the back in return. And boy, does he know how to express himself with words.

"Doesn't matter who told me, what matters is that I need your words my space Shakespeare"

Keith smiles at Lance's dumb antic.

When they first met, Lance didn't seem to like Keith, at all, and between the cheesy pickup lines with random aliens and the childish attitude, Keith didn't mind. He wasn't sure why he was supposed to hate him but it wasn't like he cared anyway, until he did.

It's not like Keith was in love, he couldn't even if he wanted, he didn't know Lance well enough for that. But he wouldn't mind to take the time and effort to get to know the guy. He wouldn't mind taking him on dates and holding his hand, and being able to dive as deep as he wanted in the blue of Lance's eyes. He wouldn't mind kissing the smirks off his face whenever he's about to say a stupid pun or the tears off his cheeks whenever whatever weight he's carrying got too heavy for him, because Keith wanted to know Lance's dark side, he wanted to know all of his sides. Keith wanted Lance. He WANTS Lance.

Keith doesn't know how he started developing feelings for the brunette but there was something about having the most handsome boy he'd ever seen sitting on his bed with a guitar in hand, that made Keith's heart warm so much it was showing on his cheeks. 

Keith clears his throat and says a little too quietly for Lance to pick up:

"I'm not that good" - he ends up tucking a strand of hair being his ear shyly

Something inside him was telling to kick Lance out 'you can't be vulnerable like that he'll be weirded out, poetry is your thing and you only share some stuff with Shiro, no one else'

"Well I'll be the judge of that" - Lance said with the warmest most reassuring smile

'Oh fuck... I can't say no to that face'

"Ok fine. What do you need?" 

"I suck with lyrics but there's this melody I have that I really wanna add lyrics to. Even Shiro said I should" 

"And you want me to do that part?" - it was more of an affirmation rather then a question

"Yep"

"Ive never written lyrics I don't know if I can do that"

"Oh cmon man" - Lance bumps his elbow playfully on Keith's side

"Urgh... Fine, what's the song about?" 

"Whatever you want it to be, but personally, I think it kinda has a romantic vibe"

"Alright. So can you?" - Keith gestures at the guitar

"Oh yeah sure"

And just like that Lance starts playing a beautifully soft melody. Keith could defenetly feel the romantic vibe and his stomach was turning itself at how at peace the boy looked. He really was in his element and Keith couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Lance was too busy eyeing the guitar, so Keith took the opportunity to examine him. He was able to pick up on the light freckles dusted across his nose and under his eyes that were lit up with joy that music seems to bring him, how they seemed even bluer and brighter. His hands, how delicate they looked, how his long fingers would go over the strings so gently. He almost envied the guitar, that thing was sitting so close to him and it seemed to feel so right to Lance to hold it. Keith wanted that, he wanted Lance to find him that natural and right to hold.

Lance strums the guitar one last time.

"So? What do you think?" - the boy asks with eager eyes

"Yeah" - Keith says snapping himself from the trance he was in "Yeah it was nice, I could totally pick up on the romantic vibe you talked about" - Keith said with a hand subconsciously scratching the back of his neck 'I could also pick up on how you were bitting your lip to hold back a smile and how you couldn't help but shake your head up and down to the rhythm' - he thought to himself

"Sweet. So you wanna write about that? Love?"

He wasn't expecting how serious Lance sounded. He was waiting for a more immature tone and something along the lines of 'if you even know what that is' but it never came. Keith knew Lance could be serious when he had to and he loved that about him. He knew the limits.

"I uh... I mean, yea-yeah sure why not?" - Keith blushed a little

"Cool" - Lance paused hesitantly "could you like, freestyle something? Pretty please?" - he fluttered his eyelashes like a five year old

"I..guess?"

"Nice" - Lance said dropping his head towards the guitar "Oh and don't worry about like melodies or anything just, whatever comes, comes"

"Alright"

Keith didn't believe he had just agreed to freestyle about love to the boy he had he biggest crush on but once Lance was back to eyeing the guitar, the words came out surprisingly naturally as he looked at him.

 

I was never good with words  
I was never good with people  
Until you made my chest burst  
And make my demons feel feeble

You always had some kind of way  
To make me feel alive  
And even in the darkest of nights  
I saw the light inside you shine bright  
On me

Despite your arrogance  
My eyes still falls into a trance

Now I know  
What to say  
When people ask me  
"hey whats your favorite color"  
Now I know that's its blue  
In the shade of you

 

The room goes silent for a bit, both boys now aware of what just happened and tension starts building up.

"Uau Shiro was right" - Lance cracks a smile "you really are something"

Keith looks away shyly "you think?"

"Yeah" - Lance hesitates a bit "I also think that was about me" - the boy says in the deepest smoothest voice, a voice that makes Keith's insides turn to jelly

"What makes you think that?" - he looks at Lance who was already staring at him, Keith could feel any common sense left melting under his gaze

They stare at each other. Lance puts the guitar away and starts leaning in.

"Oh just... You know" - his eyes drift to Keith's lips "everything about it. I'm not dumb you know" - he says before bitting his own lip

Keith gulps down, his face goes blank and he can only think about how fast everything seems to be happening and how much he wants to feel Lance on him, and leans in as well. He could feel that the boy knew the effect he had over him.

"And what would you do if it was about you?" - Keith said, his legs shaking a bit while trying to sound as calm as he could

They keep leaning in until Keith can feel Lance's breathing on his face as he says "this" and next thing he knows, Lance's lips are on his.

At first the kiss was simple and contained, it caught Keith a little of guard because he thought the other would just tease him. But turns out he wanted him as much as Keith wanted him too.

The kiss deepened, Keith's eyes closed shut. Lance's hands come up to cup Keith's face and stroke his cheekbones. Keith's hand went up to the back of Lance's neck, tangling his fingers on his silky brunette hair.

Kissing Lance was nothing like he had thought, it was so much better. Lance's lips were so soft.

Keith was going insane, he just couldn't get enough of the boy. Lance felt so good, he wanted more.

One of Keith's hands dropped from Lance's hair and gently and slowly went down his chest. Lance couldn't help but smile when he felt Keith's warm hand on his torso. And Keith felt a spark of electricity running through his body, not because he had his hand on Lance's abs, but because he could finally kiss that hipnotizing smile of his. Lance was melting under his touch.

The brunette was now the one messing the other's hair and both of Keith's hands were already under Lance's shirt when the boy pulled back, biting Keith's lip.

"So it was about me" - he says gasping for air his arms wrapped around Keith's neck who had his hands on Lance's waist

"One could say that" - Keith replies smiling

And they stay like that for a while, foreheads pressed together, smiling at each other like they're looking at all of earth's puppies and kittens.

"You know" - Lance breaks the silence "you're gorgeous. Like, crazy gorgeous"

Keith giggles a little skeptical at the comment, still processing what had just happened.

"So gorgeous" - he repeats

"Whatever you say loverboy"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. Just a couple notes:  
> \- Keith quickly started associating the word "Lance" with "arrogance" but as time went by it changed to "trance"  
> \- they ended up cuddling
> 
> You can find me on twitter @blckpldnlance
> 
> Thanks so much for sticking til the end <3


End file.
